In the eight years (!) since my last antidepressant, the majority of my free time has been dedicated to healing and supporting my physical and emotional body. Though the majority of the Happiness Is A Skill archive focuses on psycho-emotional tools and philosophy, most of my day to day work is rooted in the physical.
The marketing around mental and physical health focuses on things companies can sell to consumers: supplements, diets and specific manufactured foods for that diet, and pharmaceutical drugs. This leads people to think that some random supplement, the keto diet, or a new drug will be the answer. Sometimes, these things help. But more often than not, it’s a futile experiment that results in wasted money at best and iatrogenic harm from misprescribed pharmaceuticals at worst.
This isn’t to say that physical interventions don’t matter. They absolutely do—and we’ll get to what I’m experimenting with these days—but people have it backward. They think if they get the physical nailed down, the psycho-emotional mind will follow. Instead, they end up building a backward, ineffective pyramid of healing that teeters on an unsupported base:
Here’s how this plays out:
Someone is having a rough time. Maybe they have their basic physiological needs covered, maybe they don’t. Let’s assume they do, because not having your basic needs covered is a different issue.
Instead of looking at their actions or their life situation, this person throws a bunch of money at some random wellness trend, hack, or drug. When that doesn’t work, maybe they try a new diet or sign up for an exercise class. But because the root issues haven’t been addressed, they can’t stick to those changes. At this point, whatever issue is going on in someone’s life is likely intensifying. Basic needs, whether financial, interpersonal, or health-related, are likely starting to crack. This is scary enough that maybe they try therapy, but there’s no foundation to support it, so it doesn’t “work,” leading to more destruction that will eventually topple the whole thing over.
In reality, the mind leads and the body follows. It’s as if you are tending a garden and strategizing the best way to grow a bounty. Sure, you can plant healthy seeds in parched, malnourished soil. Something will grow (maybe), but it’s not going to thrive. Or, you can take the time to regenerate the soil—which means a fallow harvest while the soil is healing—knowing next year’s crops will be set up to thrive.
This pyramid plays out in a different way:
This person has their basic psychological needs covered. It may not be the highest quality food, shelter, or security, but there’s enough of it to put focus elsewhere. Instead of scattering their energy across unsubstantiated wellness trends, they commit to emotional work. This could be through formal therapy, meditation, inner child work, hypnotherapy, spiritual counseling—whatever, as long as it resonates and doesn’t result in a bullshit DSM label/diagnosis. As the emotional work settles in, avenues of physical change emerge. It becomes easier to eat the way the body needs, because the desire to self destruct or self-soothe with food is lessened. When the body gets the right nutrients, sleep improves. When sleep improves, energy goes up and exercise is more sustainable. Now, this person has a frame of reference for how shitty they felt and how much better they feel. They are motivated to keep it up, to hone in on specifics, and get nerdy with it. They have earned the right to tinker with supplement stacks because, as one of my mentors once put it, “They are no longer eating, sleeping, and thinking like an asshole.”
I say all this because, inevitably, someone is going to read this issue, cherry pick a few things, and bitch when it doesn’t work. I’ll ask them about their diet or what action they’re taking in their emotional life, and they’ll tell me they’re eating lots of low fat muffins and haven’t fired their therapist, even though they haven’t made progress in years.
If that’s you, then you’re doing it wrong. Feel free to follow what calls to you and make many changes at once, but know that without the right base, it’s unlikely anything else will have a major impact.
With that said, I know so many of you are ready to level up. So here are all the things I’ve been experimenting with in 2024 to support my physical health.
Performance Bloodwork with Vitality Blueprint
My foray into fixing my physical health after 15 years of antidepressants began in 2021 under the eye of an old friend and human performance expert Andy Galpin, PhD, and performance bloodwork specialist Dan Garner. Andy and Dan were quietly working with professional athletes, using biomarkers from an extensive series of lab tests to hone in and eradicate issues. After getting nowhere with traditional doctors, I reached out to Andy and Dan and they took me through their program.
Andy and Dan have now exploded in the performance space. Their R.A.P.I.D. program is the gold standard, but it is financially prohibitive for those of us who aren’t on multi-million dollar contracts.
To reach more of us normal folk, Andy and Dan created Vitality Blueprint, one of the world’s most in-depth blood tests on the market. Vitality’s bloodwork system measures over 100 biomarkers (your standard bloodwork from a doctor only measures 10), analyzes over 20,000 biomarker calculations, and breaks down the results into 13 categories including micronutrients, hormone profile, sleep, toxic load, and gut health.
Furthermore, results come with personalized programs that explain exactly how to eat, what lifestyle changes to make, and what supplements to take that will enhance and repair your unique physiology.
It’s not covered by insurance, but it’s no more expensive than throwing out hundreds of dollars a month on supplements you don’t need. And as a longtime supporter of Dan and Andy’s work, they have graciously offered HIAS subscribers 10% off any of their programs using the code VITALITYSIEM. I highly, highly recommend it.
Animal Based Diet
Not to be confused with a carnivore diet, which is based exclusively on meat, or a ketogenic diet which severely restricts carbohydrates and relies on fat as fuel, the animal-based diet consists primarily of high-quality meat, organs, fruit (and fruits mistaken as vegetables), honey, raw dairy (if tolerated) and eggs.
A typical day for me includes:
Breakfast: coffee with collagen and coconut milk, 3 eggs fried in raw butter and 3 medjool dates with macadamia nut or raw almond butter.
Lunch: some sort of grass-fed/organic/pasture-raised protein (beef, bison, or chicken), some sort of fat like full-fat kefir or yogurt, raw cheese, or nuts, and carbohydrates from fruits like berries, citrus, apples, and dried mango.
Dinner: some sort of grass-fed/organic/pasture-raised protein or wild fish, light greens or a fruit masking as a vegetable (cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, squash, etc—anything with seeds), fat from avocados, raw butter, or macadamia nut oil, and carbohydrates from sweet potatoes or white rice. Occasionally, I’ll incorporate vegetables I know I can tolerate like light greens (arugula, spring mix), broccoli, cabbage, or green beans. Most days, I have some high-quality dark chocolate for dessert.
I rarely snack, but if I do, it’s nuts and fruit, minimally processed meat sticks or jerky, or some whey protein.
I avoid seed oils (canola, safflower, grapeseed, peanut, etc.), anything fried, alcohol, gluten, grains, white sugar, beans, and most vegetables.
This diet has taken me years to dial in, but now it’s so second nature that I don’t even think about it. My bloodwork is pristine and my body composition remains steady at 15% body fat, even after major knee surgery.
This is also very close to what I feed my pro athletes, though they get a bit more variety. I am convinced that if everyone ate the way I and my athletes do, most health issues would be eradicated.
Strategic Supplementation
I don’t really believe in supplementation, at least not in the way that supports a multi-billion dollar industry. There is no one supplement I’d recommend to everyone, and I especially don’t recommend supplements without first doing extensive bloodwork. I just don’t see the point of throwing money at a problem when you have no idea what the problem actually is.
However, I have done extensive bloodwork, so I know what my issues are and what supplements can be used to optimize.
For example, my sex hormones and DHEA levels are low and have remained low despite massive dietary changes and getting off birth control. This has been determined through multiple Dutch Tests, which measure hormone levels in saliva and urine. The whole thing is a mystery, but we’re starting by addressing it with maca and DHEA supplements. I expect to retest by the end of the year, and if things are still wonky, we’ll go into the world of gentle hormone replacement.
Additionally, my ferritin (iron) levels run low despite eating a lot of red meat, so I supplement with high quality, grassfed, dessicated beef liver which is one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet. I also combine my red meat and liver supplements with vitamin C-rich foods like citrus and mango, because vitamin C enhances iron absorption. Remember, it’s not about the micronutrients you eat. It’s about the micronutrients you absorb.
Because I’m recovering from knee surgery, I’ve also incorporated extra supplements known to support ligament and tendon recovery, including collagen, creatine, and C:15 (brand name Fatty15), an odd chain amino acid that strengthens cell membranes and aids mitochondrial function. C:15 is an amino acid primarily found in fish skin and full fat dairy, two things humans don’t eat much of anymore. The science around C:15 is new, but in my recovery, I’m happy to throw everything at it.
Red Light Therapy
Much of my 2024 health rabbit holes have revolved around how light affects the body and, therefore, unlearning all the crap about how sunlight is bad for the body. Much like nutrition and mental health, once you start pulling at the thread around the narrative of sunlight, the whole paradigm falls apart. I’ve stopped slathering myself in sunscreen, stopped wearing sunglasses unnecessarily, and invested in a large red light panel that hangs in my bathroom.
I’m not going to go into the details, because there are plenty of more researched folks who write about this. For a taste, check out Dermatology’s Disastrous War Against The Sun and Natural Light is An Essential Nutrient.
Red light therapy (RLT) works by exposing the skin to low levels of red or near-infrared light, which penetrates tissues to varying depths. This light is absorbed by chromophores in cells, particularly within mitochondria. The absorption boosts mitochondrial function, leading to increased production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy currency of cells. Elevated ATP levels enhance cellular processes, promoting repair, regeneration, and overall health. RLT also stimulates the production of collagen, a key protein for skin structure, which improves skin texture and elasticity. Additionally, it is thought to reduce oxidative stress and inflammation by increasing antioxidant defense mechanisms. All of these effects collectively accelerate healing, reduce pain and inflammation, and improve skin health.
I bought my red light panel post surgery to help heal my scars and give my body a boost. While I don’t have any control to compare, I can tell you that I’ve seen massive improvement in the skin on my face, and my surgeon looked at my 8 week old scars and said, “What’s your secret sauce that’s made those scars look so good?”
Peptide Therapy
Finally, I’m deep in the world of peptides. Again, this came about as part of my surgery recovery strategy.
Peptide therapy involves using specific peptides, which are short chains of amino acids, to target various health conditions and enhance physiological functions. These peptides can mimic or influence naturally occurring peptides in the body, thereby modulating specific biological processes and improve hormone regulation, immune function, and tissue repair.
Specifically, I’m using injectible variations of the peptides BPC-157 and TB-500, which accelerate muscle and tendon repair, reduce inflammation, and enhance recovery from injuries.
The catch with peptides is that there aren’t any randomized clinical trials in humans, but there is a mountain of anectodal evidence and animal studies. Also, it can be tricky to find American-made, third party tested peptides that are 99% pure. I’m working with a specialist, so I trust where the peptides are coming from and know the exact dose I need for my body, but there is still a slight element of risk. So far, though, I’m having no issues, and think that the peptides are part of the reason why my knee recovery is going so well.
Before you go…
After 15 years of depression and antidepressants, my mission is to help people find hope in the name of healing. My memoir on the subject, MAY CAUSE SIDE EFFECTS, publishes in August 2022.
Order it now.
For the most up-to-date announcements, subscribe to my newsletter HAPPINESS IS A SKILL, a weekly newsletter devoted to helping people heal from depression.
June 11, 2025
Five books every parent should read before taking their kid to a psychiatrist: Share with every parent you know.
read the article
May 29, 2025
Heartbridge: When connection transcends time, logic, and life itself.
read the article
May 22, 2025
How to Watch the Pain: When painkillers fail.
read the article
May 15, 2025
The Limerence Effect: The power—and risks—of a name
read the article